


The night behind my back

by Luminee



Category: Monsta X (Band), Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Magical Realism, Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, Alternate Universe - Werewolf, Getting to Know Each Other, Guns, Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, M/M, Showki, Student!Kihyun, Supernatural AU - Freeform, a werewolf could jump at u, but hyungwonho!, hunter!shownu, hyungwon is only mentionned, shownu as dean winchester thank me later, thanks wonho, u never know, watch ur backs kiddos, yes it's boyfriend donghyun
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-19
Updated: 2020-04-19
Packaged: 2021-03-02 05:48:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,933
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23740102
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Luminee/pseuds/Luminee
Summary: Kihyun is attacked by a werewolf, thankfully, he meets Hyunwoo.
Relationships: Chae Hyungwon/Lee Hoseok | Wonho, Son Hyunwoo | Shownu/Yoo Kihyun
Comments: 8
Kudos: 68





	The night behind my back

**Author's Note:**

> hiii  
> damn this fic took a long time to be written i hadn't expected anything but i kinda like it at the end! hope you'll too uwu  
> also yes this is a crossover between supernatural and monsta x thought we might deserve it 
> 
> (i suck at summaries gosh)
> 
> thanks to etoilephilante and aguamenting for reading it before and cheering for me uwu love u

Kihyun hated closing the shop. If he had to choose, he would rather have to open the café every morning then having to close it just once a week. He flinched while putting away all the last cups, checking that everything else had been correctly cleaned. He was unable to say no when Soyou, his boss, would ask him for a favor. Usually, she would most of the time do her best to make the best schedule for him so he could work and have enough time to study for his university courses. However, tonight, she had no other choices but to make Kihyun close the entire shop by himself. A last-minute arrangement that she obviously felt so sorry about.

He took the huge trash bags with a sigh. It was not the fact that it was making him end his work way later than usual, but it was also the fact that the coffee shop was in an area that frightened him. If it was a busy street during the day, once night had fallen, there was nothing left; not even a decent lightning and Kihyun hated the sound of the empty and dark night. He opened the back door, struggling with the bags that seemed to be bigger than he was, carefully letting it open behind him so that the light inside would spread a bit. At least, tonight the full moon was shining brightly.

It was a winter night, the wind made the employee shiver, he had yet to take off his uniform. His eyes were so heavy, the fatigue he had piled up during the day was flowing onto him. Fortunately, taking out the trash was the last thing he had to do. He was dragging the bag a bit more when he heard what sounded like footsteps. He froze.

“Soyou?” he asked in a clear voice. She had left a couple hours ago already. “Did you forgot something?”

No one answered but the wind blowing on the branches. Maybe he had just hallucinated it. He came back to his work, putting all his forces in lifting the bags. He counted about twenty seconds before the sound came back. Footsteps. And the terrible sensation that someone was there.

Letting go of the bags, Kihyun came back near the door, “if it’s you, it’s not funny at all,” he yelled once again, his voice becoming shakier. Still no answers. And the coffee shop seemed as empty as he had left it. He felt a chill going down his spine. _It’s probably just your imagination_ , he thought, _but maybe just finish this quicker_.

Kihyun did not have the time to go back to the bags that he felt something fell on him. He gasped, too surprised to even scream. He fell down on his knees, his breath cut short. He finally screamed when he felt claws digging into his back, tears of pain filling his eyes. He had no idea what was going, he could not see anything due to the lack of light, his brain could focus on one and only one thing; fight back whatever this _thing_ was. He tried to pull himself out, trying to move his legs, his arms, even when every movement made the thing dig his claws deeper in his back. He heard growls over him, heavy breathing. Kihyun could feel his flesh being teared up.

He was about to give up, feeling his strength leaving his body as the pain grew stronger when he heard what his brain registered as gunshots. The pressure suddenly went away, he fell. His heart was beating too fast, it was hard to breathe, tiny black dots were blocking his vision, his back was burning and he could feel his own blood running down his body. He felt like dying.

“Fuck,” Kihyun heard, “are you okay?”

If Kihyun had any strength left in his body he would have certainly answered with a sarcastic comment but he only managed to slowly shake his head. “You’re alive,” said the voice, “try to keep your eyes open, I’ll help you.”

Kihyun nodded once more. He felt his body being picked up, he let out a scream of pain when the arms touched his wounds. “Sorry,” mumbled the stranger. And it was the last thing he heard.

*

When Kihyun woke up, his whole body felt sore. He tried to move but the pain on his back was so strong that he gasped. Even his eyes did not obey when he tried to open them. The confusion mixed with pain awakened his anxiety and he struggled to catch another breath. He felt someone sitting next to him, and a hand softly going through his hair, “you’re safe,” whispered a voice, “don’t push it too much. Everything will be fine.”

For some reason, Kihyun believed the voice and let himself pass out once again.

*

It was way later that Kihyun really opened his eyes. Even if he could still feel some pain in his body, it had been considerably reduced. He was laying on his stomach, on a bed that was not his at all, the mattress squeaked as he tried to move to understand where he was.

“Hey.” Kihyun turned a little bit his head. A man was sitting on a chair near the window, the little and round table in front of him was covered by papers and a computer. He was looking at him with worrying eyes, “how are you feeling?” he continued.

Kihyun blinked a few times, trying to remember everything that had happened, “Terrible,” he answered in a raspy voice, “where am I?” He had several questions roaming through his head but he decided to take it easy.

The man got up, coming closer to him, “motel room,” he said. That explained the bad mattress. “You got hurt,” he explained, “so I brought you here to help you.”

Little by little, flashes of the night before came back to his mind. The weird noises. The claws. The fear. The pain. He winced. “I know it must be very confusing for you right now but I promise to you, I won’t harm you,” said the man.

“You saved me,” was all Kihyun could answer, “from that thing, whatever happened.”

“I did.”

Kihyun stared at him for a second. He was tall and muscular. He did not seem very older than him, however, his face clearly showed tiredness. He had visible scars on his arms but he still had a very gentle look and Kihyun decided to trust him. After all, if he had wanted to hurt him more, he would have done it by then. However, to him, the situation still made no sense at all. “Who are you?”

The man hesitated. “My name’s Hyunwoo,” he carefully said, “I’m a hunter.”

“What? You hunt animals? Like in the woods?”

Hyunwoo seemed to be more and more embarrassed. He shook his head, “no, I hunt supernatural things, like what attacked you.”

Kihyun slowly raised up, moving was difficult and painful but he needed to be fully awake to understand what was happening right now. “What attacked me?” he repeated, articulating every single word.

The answer came quickly and sharply, “a werewolf.”

“No,” Kihyun said without even realizing it. Hyunwoo stayed silent, simply looking at him with comprehensive eyes. “It’s impossible.”

“What do you think attacked you then?” the other man asked. “I don’t know some kind of very big and very aggressive dog...”

Hyunwoo turned around, stopping Kihyun in the middle of his sentence. He grabbed a few papers on the table and then put those on the bed. Three pages from the local newspaper. “Another man found dead?” Kihyun read, raising an eyebrow. “Read the entire article.”

Kihyun frowned but he did what he had been told. The pages all explained how the police had found someone dead, and that their heart was missing. “I don’t understand,” he honestly said. “Do you know a lot of dogs who would attack people and then only eat their hearts?”

The young man felt sick. His thoughts were pulsing in his head. “It’s probably a coincidence,” he muttered in a tiny voice. “All the attacks happened during the full moon and yesterday...”

“It was the full moon yesterday,” continued Kihyun for him, remembering the shining moon clearly in his head. Everything was falling down on him and he suddenly felt dizzy. “Are you okay?” asked Hyunwoo, coming even closer to the bed, “do the wounds hurt?”

Kihyun shook his head, “it doesn’t help but just, it’s a lot to process.” Hyunwoo had an empathetic nod, “I know but you’ll be fine. You don’t have to worry about that.”

The young man sighed. His head was hurting now following the pulse of the pain in his back. It felt like the whole world was spinning oppositely. “So, werewolves exist. Fine.” He knew Hyunwoo was still looking at him with his gentle yet worrying eyes and he was trying his best to look anywhere else but in that direction, “is that it?”

“It?” asked Hyunwoo carefully. “Like, is there any other kind of creepy stuff out there that we don’t know about but apparently can nearly kill us?”

The hunter swallowed with difficulty, “I’m not sure I should tell you about it.”

“So it’s a yes,” simply affirmed Kihyun. “I can’t believe this,” he muttered more for himself then for Hyunwoo. “I told you not to worry about this,” the latter answered.

“How could I? I was attacked by a werewolf, werewolves exist, and other shit like that, I could have died eaten by a fucking werewolf, so yeah I worry about this!”

Kihyun brutally got up, he winced at his wounds stretching, making Hyunwoo startled, “wait does that mean I’m gonna be a werewolf too?” He threw horrified looks at the hunter. His heart was beating fast and rushes of fear and anxiety were going through his skin. Even with his eyes wide open, he could see the image of himself turning into some kind of wolf-like beast during the next full moon.

“No. It only scratched you, I arrived before it could bite you.” Hyunwoo affirmed “trust me, you’ll be fine. I’ve already seen things like that.”

His voice was calm and steady, but he was still putting strength in each of his words and once again Kihyun found himself believing it. He laid back on the bed, being cautious not to worsen the pain on his wounds. “You need to rest...” Hyunwoo stopped himself, looking confused.

“Kihyun,” he mumbled, “my name’s Kihyun.”

The hunter nodded and squatted down so he could be at the same height as Kihyun was. Hyunwoo’s head was near his, his eyes were looking directly onto Kihyun’s. “You should rest Kihyun,” he repeated. Hearing his name being pronounced so softly and with so much care made his cheeks feel a bit hot but he put that reaction onto his recent attack. “Did you kill it?”

The question startled the hunter for a second and the dark look that obscured his face was enough for Kihyun to understand the answer. “I did not. I missed it,” he said while getting up, “you really should sleep, worrying about all this won’t help you heal.”

Kihyun watched with disappointment Hyunwoo going back to his seat, and browsing through all the papers that were still on the table. He stared at him for a moment but the hunter did not even look back, focusing on whatever he was working on, and Kihyun eventually laid on his stomach and closed his eyes trying to follow the other one’s advice.

*

Hearing Kihyun finally falling back asleep made some tension leaving Hyunwoo’s shoulders. The light and constant breathing behind him reassured him a bit. At least the wounds did not seem to get worse. However he still had sent a message to Hoseok, asking him for his advice on the situation, so naturally, Hoseok had told him he was coming. He repressed a sigh, the other man had stopped hunting a few years ago, when he had started dating Hyungwon, but Hyunwoo had never met a guy more dedicated to his friends. No matter how hard he tried to talk him out of this idea, Hoseok did not listen and stopped answering his texts after confirming that he was on his way.

Hyunwoo knew Hoseok only meant good. The latter was the embodiment of good and caring. However, Hyunwoo liked to hunt by himself and the idea of his friend coming was giving him a strong headache. He took a look at Kihyun silently wishing that the other hunter would only stay there and watch over the young man instead of coming hunting with him. Hyunwoo hunted alone, not because he did not like working with others but just because that way, no one would be put in danger.

It had not been so long since the worst had happened. A year ago he would have had shared his hunt with his mentor and best friend, Donghyun. But Donghyun had died when they were solving a case in a haunted manor because of Hyunwoo’s careless mistake. He had sworn he had burnt every trace of the corpse, and they were about to leave the city when the specter attacked once again. It did not take long for them to realize that the family of the deceased had kept a few of their hair into the form of a vintage doll. A beginner mistake. That had cost Donghyun’s life.

The memory was still vivid in his mind and so was the grief. After this, Hyunwoo had decided to solve cases by himself, to make sure everything was double-checked, and that no one was put in danger because of him.

However he still made another mistake. The hunter closed his computer, feeling all the tiredness coming back in his body. A couple of months ago he had met a werewolf. A young woman that had been recently bitten. It took her a while to realize what she had become and in front of her confusion and pain, Hyunwoo had believed her. She promised that she would not hurt anyone. Yet, it was obvious now that she had lied. The city where he was right now was close to the one he had met her, and with a bit of investigation, it had been easy to connect the dots. She had moved there a few weeks after he had let her go and not even two months later, the murders started again. All Hyunwoo’s muscles tensed at those thoughts. He could have had avoided the death of three innocent people if only he had not made another of his mistake. At least he had been able to save Kihyun’s life.

He turned his chair around, watching gently the young man peacefully sleeping. Hyunwoo was ashamed of himself even more, if it was possible, now that Hoseok was coming. He could not bring himself to tell him, or anyone else, about this mistake. He wished the other hunted had stayed at his home and had simply sent his advice through texts. Hyunwoo did not need another life to be threatened because of him.

*

The bed was uncomfortable as hell, the cushion too small and not fluffy enough and the mattress was as soft as a rock, yet Kihyun had been able to sleep all day long. When he woke up, the motel room was completely empty. The presence of the tallest man had been reassuring and suddenly everything seemed scary. He was about to get up and search the room when the door opened.

Kihyun had expected Hyunwoo to enter but it was a totally different man. He frowned. “Oh you’re awake!” the stranger said in a happy voice, “Hyunwoo sent me to look over you”. The man was smiling gently, he was smaller than Hyunwoo but his arms were twice the size of Kihyun’s head. Why was everyone so muscular?

“My name is Hoseok,” he continued, “I’m a hunter as well. He told me he had explained everything to you”. Kihyun nodded. “My boyfriend is a man of letter so Hyunwoo asked me for advice to make sure you’ll be fine.”

“A what?” eventually asked Kihyun, feeling once again completely lost and confused. Gosh, he simply wished to be able to wake up and understand what was going on. “Man of letter,” repeated Hoseok, “it’s like some kind of supernatural nerd.” He giggled at his joke but Kihyun did not quite get it.

“Where is Hyunwoo?” he softly questioned. “He’s looking for food,” Hoseok answered as he sat down, “I told him it was for me and you, which is not totally wrong, but I also want to make sure he’s not starving himself by overworking.” Kihyun nodded, feeling like he was given way more information than he had asked. But he did not really mind. The idea of food suddenly made his mouth salivate, he could not remember when his last meal was.

Kihyun got up. The curtains were still closed but he could still see rays of dim sunlight. It was probably the end of the afternoon, maybe the evening now. Now that he felt better, his wounds were still hurting him but it was bearable enough for him to think correctly, his responsibilities came back to his head. He slowly patted the pockets of his pants, but they were empty. “Where’s my phone?”

Hoseok grabbed something on the table, “here,” he answered giving him the phone, “I hope you don’t mind but we sent a few texts in your name. Your boss seemed to be pretty worried about you, and it’s better for us if the police stay away.”

“How did you find the password?”

“We got a few tricks up our sleeves,” Hoseok replied with a wink, “we didn’t look for anything else though, we just took precautions.”

“I understand.”

He let the silence settle between them and finally stood up. His legs were a bit weak and the scratches on his back stretched painfully. He felt more at ease in the situation even if all of it still seemed a bit unreal, but he was way past the confusion and dizziness now. His phone was dead but it was good to know that Soyou was not worrying about him. She must have been pretty shocked discovering the shop the next day, the lights still on, the doors open and the backyard probably bloody. He sighed, wondering what kind of excuses the hunters could have given to her. Another question popped into his head, how would he be able to go back to his life after all this? However, he decided to put it aside, for the moment at least.

“Are you going to help Hyunwoo kill this thing?” asked Kihyun abruptly. Hoseok seemed a bit caught off guard, probably expecting him to continue the silence. “I don’t think he would let me do so.”

“Why? You said you were a hunter too, isn’t this like your job?”

Hoseok bit his lip, looking very unsure of himself. “I stopped hunting a few years ago, to be honest, I only deal with little cases when they’re near me,” he begun carefully, “I haven’t seen Hyunwoo in a while, that’s why I immediately came when he texted me. I was worried.”

Kihyun only frowned, not daring to ask any other questions, simply hoping Hoseok would keep on going with explications. He felt very involved with the whole situation and the other man was very transparent. He could hear his emotions in his words easily; his concern was palpable.

“I’m not sure I should talk about this,” he confessed in a tiny voice passing his hand through his hair. “Why would he not let you hunt with him?” asked again Kihyun. He sat in front of Hoseok, at the table, mechanically tidying up the pile of papers, giving him an encouraging look. “You have to promise not to tell him I told you.”

“Of course!”

“A year ago Hyunwoo went through what I think might be the worst in our job,” Hoseok told, “he lost his mentor who happened to be his hunting partner. Ever since he’s been hunting alone, even when he needs help.”

“That’s completely stupid,” exclaimed Kihyun as the door opened.

Hyunwoo entered the little room, a bag of food in his hands, “what is completely stupid?” he asked in his usual soft voice. Hoseok turned red, and he threw a begging look at Kihyun who decided to ignore it. “To hunt by yourself and not ask for help,” he responded.

The tallest hunter stared at Hoseok who was suddenly fascinated by the curtain in front of him. “It’s safer that way,” Hyunwoo quietly answered putting the bag on the table. “For who?” “Other.”

“Yeah, so they don’t die helping you but you die alone like the big old hero that you are,” the words were going out of Kihyun’s mouth without him even realizing it, “that’s absolutely brilliant!”

Hoseok seemed more and more uncomfortable but Hyunwoo stayed still, “why do you care so much?”

Kihyun was caught off guard. He opened his mouth and then closed it immediately. He usually was always so quick to think but he felt his cheek becoming hotter as he was desperately trying to find an answer to that question. “Maybe we should just eat,” interrupted Hoseok. Hyunwoo nodded and they took the food out of the bag. Kihyun stared at every movement Hyunwoo was making, “so what is happening next?” he said instead.

“I will kill it,” mumbled Hyunwoo between two bites in his sandwich, “and if you’re fine, I guess Hoseok can go back home.”

“I’m sorry I made you come all this way, I didn’t want to bother you.” Hoseok shrugged, “you’re not bothering me, I chose to come and you know I can help you more.”

Hyunwoo did a movement with his hand like he was brushing away the subject and Hoseok did not add anything. They ate in silence and when they were done, Hoseok simply checked Kihyun’s wounds, changing the bandage and reassuring him that he would be fine, then left in another room he had booked for himself. Hyunwoo laid down on the bed while Kihyun sat back on the chair. He was feeling restless, he had so many things to ask, his curiosity was mixing with another feeling that he had yet been able to define.

“So, what is your plan?” he asked. “To sleep,” simply replied the hunter.

Kihyun sighed, “I meant about the beast.”

“I know what you meant, but you don’t have to care about this.” He had not moved at all, laying on his back, his two hands behind his neck and his eyes closed. “I don’t have to, but I want to.”

Hyunwoo snorted, shaking a little bit his head, “you’re the one being completely stupid now.” Kihyun choked on the air, offended, “what?!”

The tallest moved on his side, so he could see Kihyun, “you don’t have to be involved in all this. You can just go back to your life, forget about everything once your wounds will be healed and move on. And that’s what you should do.”

“I’m already involved, no matter what you say,” answered the other one sharply. “And I want to be useful.”

Hyunwoo got up, staring right into the smallest eyes, “this is not a game, Kihyun,” he said in a dead-serious tone. It took Kihyun all his strength not to flinch at his look. “I never said it was.”

“Then I don’t think you realize what you are asking for. I saved your life, it’s not for you to get killed after,” honestly said Hyunwoo. Kihyun held his look. Actually, he knew the hunter was not wrong and he would have not been able to explain to him why he was asking that, it was more of instinct than a rational thought but he did not quiet it. “You don’t realize either what you are telling me,” he clapped back, “thinking that I could go back to my usual life after learning what you do and what really exists in this world. After being attacked and almost killed by a fucking werewolf, and without being able to tell it to anyone because everyone would think I’m going crazy. To be honest, I even think I actually am going completely mad right now.” He was spitting out everything that was inside him, Hyunwoo looked shocked but he did not mind. “Hell, nothing makes sense at all, so, at least, let me do something useful.”

He took a deep breathe. Hyunwoo stayed silent for a few seconds like he was understanding everything that he had just heard and considering the situation. “Yes, you saved my life. I owe you,” added Kihyun in a firm voice.

The hunter was still not saying anything and Kihyun suddenly felt a bit embarrassed of bursting out like that. “You don’t have to answer now,” he eventually said in a tiny voice, “I guess you haven’t slept for a while.”

Hyunwoo smiled. A soft and very discreet smile that made Kihyun repressed a blush. “We’ll have till the full moon to see if you can help me or not,” he explained, “I’ll sleep for a few hours, wake me up if anything happens.”

The young man nodded quietly, pleased with the arrangement, and Hyunwoo laid back down leaving Kihyun alone with his thoughts.

*

Hoseok left quickly after but not without giving his number to Kihyun, tons of instructions, and unguents for his wounds. Kihyun was sad to see him go, Hoseok was a nice guy, always trying to set the mood and to make everyone feel comfortable and it was easier to talk with him than with Hyunwoo. The young man knew he could have gone back to his own apartment instead of staying alone with the tall hunter but the simple thought of being alone was squeezing his stomach in fear. He had never been fearful before, of course, he had his anxieties like probably everyone else, but nothing that would have made his life complicated.

Physically, Kihyun felt better. The wounds were still a bit open and would rub unpleasantly against the fabric of his shirts, but nothing unbearable. Hyunwoo followed carefully Hoseok directives while taking care of it every night and Kihyun ended up liking those moments. The hunter was very delicate and comforting, like the first night he had spent in the motel with him. And when the night was falling down and the anxiety shivers were rushing in his spine, knowing Hyunwoo was there to watch over him was the only way for him to fall asleep. He had not said anything to the latter about this, but the hunter had not asked for him to go home either. They had made the silent agreement to stay together in this tiny motel room, no matter how strange it sounded.

At first, the hunter had been a bit reluctant to show him how his “work” was done, hiding the papers he was working on when Kihyun was waking up, working during the night only, making sure his computer was logged out and obviously when Kihyun was asking him about it, he would only shrug. However, Kihyun was stubborn. Every day he asked the same questions, reminding Hyunwoo that he owed him, that he could probably be helpful. The only thing he kept for himself was the strong feeling he had; he needed to help kill this thing or he would be living in fear all his life.

“Where are we going?” asked Kihyun but still following Hyunwoo out of the room and into his car. It was way too early in the morning for him and the hunter had woken him up without saying anything else. “The forest,” he answered. The young man raised an eyebrow, he immediately regretted closing the door, “what?” was only what he managed to say.

The hunter shrugged, starting the vehicle, “you wanted to help, so it’s your time to shine.”

He was more and more confused, no word that was coming out of the other one’s mouth was making sense, “help.. in the forest?” he articulated slowly, “are you going to kill me and get rid of my body?” He had waited a whole week for Hyunwoo to accept his help but now he was really getting worried.

“Oh, I would not need to go that far to do that.”

Kihyun turned his head, analyzing every inch of Hyunwoo’s face to see if he was laughing or not, but the hunter was imperturbable. “Relax, Kihyun, I’m not going to hurt you,” he eventually said with a smile, “we’re just going to see if you can help. Just try a few shootings.”

“With a gun?!” he almost choked. “Don’t you want to help to kill the werewolf? If you can’t shoot you won’t be able to do much,” Hyunwoo answered with the same calm tone.

“I’ve never touched a gun,” confessed the young man after a little silence. He was staring at the road in front of them, looking at how they were going out of the city center, his fists were tensed and anxiety was creeping in his guts. “We all gotta start somewhere.”

Hyunwoo did not comfort him more but flash a quick smile at him, for once letting his eyes break from the road to look at Kihyun’s paler than usual face. The second part of the ride passed by in silence. The hunter focusing on his driving while the smallest man was rushing different scenarios in his head. In all of them, he was struggling, and when Hyunwoo finally parked the car, his legs were shaking.

Trying his best to hide his anxiety, he followed Hyunwoo as he was opening the trunk of his car. He gasped seeing what was inside. About thirty different kinds of weapons. Some guns and knives that he could recognize by the first look but even more stupidly looking dangerous weapons. Hyunwoo quickly took two small guns and close it “you get used to this,” he whispered. “What if a cop pulls you over and find this?” was the only question Kihyun managed to get out of his mouth.

Hyunwoo scoffed at his remark, “the only reason why I respect speed limits. C’mon, let’s go.”

They walked for a while, Kihyun tried hard to follow the tallest’ pace but his tiny legs struggled and he quickly felt out of breathing. After what seemed to be forever, Hyunwoo stopped, he took a marker out of his pocket and drew a target on a tree. He stepped a bit away and then traced a line with his foot on the soil, Kihyun was staring at him, confused and freezing. The hunter pulled out the gun and he did not hesitate before shooting. Kihyun almost jumped back, startled by the loud sound. Each and every shot ended up in the middle of the target. The young man felt his jaw-dropping down, impressed by the precision. Hyunwoo handed him the gun, his face still expressionless.

“You try,” he only said. Kihyun took a step away from the gun and only stared at it. “I told you I’ve never done that.”

Hyunwoo rolled his eyes, “I understood, I’ll show you.”

They stayed a second like that, Hyunwoo looking directly into the other one’s eyes without even blinking and Kihyun eventually withdraw and took the gun. It was heavier than he had thought, he tried his best not to show that he was struggling. He took the hunter’s place. His arms were shaking but he focused on the target, raising slowly the gun. He got startled when he felt Hyunwoo’s hands on his and his body right behind him, so close while still making sure he was not pressing on his wounds. He was glad the coldness had already turned in ears and nose red because if not it would have been obvious he was blushing. “Focus, don’t think too much, and shot,” he whispered into his ears making the younger body shiver from head to toe.

Kihyun suddenly felt so small into Hyunwoo’s embrace. He had realized how tall and muscular the hunter was but actually feeling his arms around him made everything different and if there was one thing he could not do right now, it was _focusing_. However, he still followed his words and just shot. The impact was rougher than he had expected to make him lose his balance a bit but Hyunwoo caught him back.

He felt even colder when Hyunwoo broke the contact to look at the target closely. “Not too bad for a first time,” he commented. Kihyun tried to smile at the compliment but he still felt confused by what had just happened. Maybe he imagined that, but it was like the hunter was flustered also, and was trying to avoid any eye contact with him.

“I’m a good learner,” was all Kihyun could answer.

*

After this, Hyunwoo let slowly Kihyun stepped in his work and for the best as they developed some kind of routine. Hyunwoo knew who the werewolf was, a young woman apparently, he had found a name but no address. Kihyun knew the city better than Hyunwoo, he easily pointed the neighborhoods where the werewolf seemed to attack mostly, and demarcated the area where the beast probably lived in its human form. Every form of compliments Hyunwoo let out made Kihyun’s heart sink his chest and an odd feeling of happiness was blossoming in it.

Days went by. Kihyun had not shown up in his classes, a few of his classmates sent him texts asking where he was, and he simply answered that he had gone back to his parents’ home due to family emergency. He only went to his apartment to take a few clean clothes and important things. Soyou had gently accepted his “holidays” too. Kihyun knew how weird his life had become, however, he realized that he did not mind it too much.

Hyunwoo was nice and caring even if he was more of the quiet type, Kihyun had guessed that he was pretty shy which was completely incoherent with how impressive he looked. Kihyun was okay with it, he talked enough for two and Hyunwoo did not seem to mind his unceasing chatting.

They worked well together, even if Hyunwoo was obviously had more experience, he would always listen to Kihyun’s ideas, correcting him softly if he was ever wrong and Kihyun liked it. He liked browsing the web, looking for similar cases that would help them find the werewolf, going on the city to find more evidence, and even breaking into Soyou’s coffee shop to see if there were anything left on the backyard that would help them. It was weirdly exciting to roam around the town, following Hyunwoo into his investigation, while keeping himself undercover since no one had to find out he still was here. It kept the fear away.

Hoseok had described Hyunwoo as an “asocial soft big bear” and Kihyun was slowly starting to see why. As the young man was trying his best not being a burden, he watched Hyunwoo’s shell melting away the more Kihyun was taking care of him. The hunter started to follow the other one’s advice when he was reminding him to go to sleep a bit or to not skip another meal. It took more time for him to really open up, but when he did Kihyun found peacefulness in knowing what was really hidden in the world. It was scary. It was still hard to believe and crazy. But it was better to know about it and to hear that people were dedicating their lives to protect people like Kihyun. It made him feel somehow a bit stronger.

“I think what you do is amazing,” softly said Kihyun one night as their conversation had been drifting from their investigation. “Really? I think it’s crazy,” Hyunwoo laughed. His laugh was always very discreet and quiet but his eyes would turn into two crescent moons, Kihyun caught himself thinking that the hunter was very cute. “It’s completely crazy,” he admitted, “but also it’s impressive, you could just leave your own life but you decided to let yourself behind and protect those who can’t. That’s pretty cool.”

Hyunwoo did not answer, simply looking at him with a smile but sad eyes. Kihyun had wished he could have run his hand through his hair and make this sadness go away.

*

Hyunwoo felt guilty. Even more than usual. He had found the address of the young woman for a while now but because Kihyun seemed way too into their investigation, he had kept the information for himself. However, the full moon was coming and he had no time left to kill her. The idea of letting Kihyun go hurt him more than he had realized it but it had become inevitable for it to happen. He had to kill the werewolf and leave the city, move on to another job. Even Hoseok had called him a few times, leaving worried vocal messages asking why it was taking him so long. Hyunwoo was a good hunter and a werewolf was not something new to him, only Kihyun had not realized that their researches were dragging on.

“Are you still working?”

Kihyun’s voice startled him. He had not seen the youngest waking up. “No,” he answered. He got up of the bed and sat in the chair in front of Hyunwoo. “What were you doing then?”

Like he always did, Kihyun started to organize the papers on the table, putting everything into their places so they would not mix up everything and the hunter smiled at this. Kihyun’s little ways, like cleaning up what Hyunwoo would usually, just ignore were endearing. “Are you worried about this case?” he asked again.

“Not really,” he mumbled, “I solved it.”

At the dim light, he saw Kihyun’s eyes sparkle with excitation, “you did? You should have woken me up! Does that mean, we are going to kill it?” His face tinged with anxiety.

“I solved it a few days ago,” started Hyunwoo. He did not want to lie. His feelings were now pressuring onto his chest and making it hard for him to think like he usually would. The other one’s eyebrows furrowed in a confused expression. “What do you mean?”

The tallest bend a bit over the table and he gently put his hand on Kihyun’s. He thought for a second that the latter would take his away but he did not move at all. It gave Hyunwoo enough courage to finish what he was saying, “I had known where she lives for a while now but I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want _this_ to end.”

He did not know if Kihyun saw his face blushing and he hoped not. Kihyun stayed silent making Hyunwoo wonder if he had gone too far, he could not raise his eyes to look at the youngest. “I’m sorry I was selfish,” he whispered.

“I don’t want _this_ to end either.”

Kihyun, whose voice was always so sure of himself, who was always ready to have a quick answer to everything, who was too stubborn to let any weakness show, suddenly sounded so shy. It only lasted one second before he rushed to kiss Hyunwoo’s lips. The latter quickly brushed his surprise away to kiss back, deepening the kiss until they were out of breathe. Kihyun got up, coming closer to Hyunwoo, and putting his hands into his hair.

Hyunwoo put his arms around him, getting up too. The youngest scoffed a laugh in their kiss when the other one lifted him up so easily, and wrap his legs around his waist. They kissed a bit more before Hyunwoo whispered softly in his ear, “Is that what you want?” Kihyun pulled his face away from the hunter, staring right into his eyes, “I’ve been waiting for it.”

The oldest had always thought Kihyun looked beautiful, that his determination was making him charming, but the way he was looking at him right now aroused new feelings and thoughts that he had tried hard to put aside ever since he had met him. The fact that he could read into his eyes the same things that were going on inside his head was the last signal he needed. With caution, he lay Kihyun down on the bed and started to put kisses on every spot of skin his mouth could found.

Into Kihyun’s arms and for the time of one night, Hyunwoo finally forgot all the worries that had been fighting inside his head for more than a year now. Focusing only on giving every pleasure he could to the other one, the blurriness and craziness in the life he had been leading faded away. For once, nothing else mattered but what made him happy.

*

Saying that Kihyun had been surprised when he had opened his eyes and found that not only Hyunwoo was not in the motel room but that his car was gone too, was being completely wrong. However, saying it had completely ruined the wonderful night he had had, curled into Hyunwoo’s arms feeling his warmth around his body and his breathe on his neck, not minding at all the fact that the bed was way too small for two people, was a fact. It did not take him much time to understand that tonight was the full moon and that the hunter had probably gone alone to kill the werewolf.

Fuming against Hyunwoo but also against himself for being a way too heavy-sleeper he texted Hoseok. The latter answered immediately saying he would arrive as fast as possible. Kihyun shook his head, without a car he was stuck into this room. The hunter had chosen the less-visited motel of the town, which meant the one far away from the city center. All he could do while waiting was browsing through Hyunwoo’s papers and computer hoping to find there a clue, or better, the whole address of the young woman.

Kihyun had not been mad about Hyunwoo hiding the truth because he had understood it. He had also not wanted to see their collaboration end and he had apprehended so much the after part of it, confused about his feelings for the hunter but also how he would be supposed to go back to his life. Plus with how the events had turned out he had not thought everything through.

But as he was going through each paper on the table, analyzing every note they had made, decoding everything Hyunwoo had wrote with his terrible handwriting and running into the files in his computer, Kihyun felt anger and frustration building up inside him. The fact that the hunter still saw him as some kind of harmless little boy even after all the time they had spent together, made his blood boil. He could also not let go of the idea of Hyunwoo getting hurt because he was too stubborn to accept any kind of help. The young man knew the other one was an experimented hunter, he had told him a few of his adventures, but he could not quieten his will to take care of him.

When Hoseok arrived, the last ray of sun had just died on the horizon. Kihyun had had the time to make an entire mess of the papers, organize it all back in a desperate way to ease his nervousness, and he had not found any trace of the address. As soon as he heard the car pulling in front of the room, he ran out of it. “We have to go now,” he said as a salutation to Hoseok who had yet to get out of his car.

“It’s the full moon tonight,” added Kihyun but Hoseok seemed pretty chill. “Kihyun, listen,” he answered, “I know you’re worried but you know Hyunwoo is a good hunter, he has done this for a long time by himself. And if he left that early it means he probably has been monitoring the girl and as soon as it will transform...”

“I have a bad feeling Hoseok,” pleaded Kihyun, “let’s just go. If he managed to deal with it alone then good but I just.. have to make sure of it. Please.”

Hoseok hesitated but eventually nodded and they both entered the car. “Do you know where it is?” asked the hunter. “Not precisely, I only know the neighborhood, so we’ll start with that.”

The ride was done in silence, both inspecting the empty streets around them to spot Hyunwoo’s car. After what seemed to be an eternity for Kihyun, they found the car. “You stay here,” said Hoseok as he was parking, “he’ll kill me if you find yourself in danger.”

Kihyun opened his mouth to protest but the other one did not give him the time to, “you know all he tried was to keep you safe?” he added while opening the car door. Kihyun frowned, crossing his arms on his chest, “I know.”

_But he did not understand I wanted to keep him safe too_ , he thought watching Hoseok leave the car.

He carefully let Hoseok take a bit of advance before getting out of the vehicle. The adrenaline was rushing through his veins, fear was compressing his stomach but he rushed to follow the hunter’s direction while keeping his distance. The last thing he wanted was to be caught and grounded like a child. With his ears wide open, he walked with caution, making sure his back was always near a wall, his eyes scanning every direction.

Kihyun felt his blood freeze when he heard gunshots, quickly followed by growls. For a very quick second, his survival instinct yelled at him to run away. But that instinct went away faster than he had expected it and the young man suddenly felt himself taken by a rush of courage. Cursing himself for not checking into Hoseok’s car if there was a gun, he continued his way, being guide by the noises.

A few minutes away, he recognized Hoseok, in a narrow alley across where he was standing. However, it was too dark, and there seemed to be no light in that street, for Kihyun to distinguish what he was shooting on. Nor if Hyunwoo was there. The shooting had stopped, suddenly everything felt so quiet. Too quiet.

The young man felt shivers running down his spine. Something was off. He could hear the sound of Hoseok’s voice, but no one seemed to answer him. Kihyun was about to cross the few meters that separated him from the hunter when a growl resonated. Kihyun tried to scream but his voice choked in his own throat and Hoseok was not quick enough to avoid the beast, that had been hiding in the dark on the fire escape stairs, falling onto him.

The beast looked nothing like what Kihyun had pictured it, in his nightmares and when Hyunwoo had explained it. He knew it did not turn into a giant wolf-like into the movies he had seen before, but seeing such a human-looking beast paralyzed him completely. He did not know what to do. He was unarmed, and the fact that Hoseok, a hunter, was struggling to fight back scared him. The hunter had managed to turn around and was now on his back trying to keep the teeth of the beast away from him.

His eyes fell on Hoseok’s gun that was lying on the ground. Too far for him to grab it back. Maybe close enough for Kihyun.

If he dared.

Kihyun’s brain stopped working. He could not watch Hoseok risking his life, not even knowing if Hyunwoo was still alive, without trying something. He ran to the gun, hoping that being quick would give him a chance. Fortunately, the beast seemed to focus on Hoseok to see him. His hands were shaking, he felt tears in his eyes, he could not believe what was going on but he still did it. Raising the gun, his stomach so tight he thought he would throw up, he tried his best to remember what Hyunwoo had taught him and he shot.

For a second, Kihyun thought he had missed. He thought he had failed and that now, they were all about to die. However, Hoseok pushed the now immobile body of the beast on the side and slowly got up. Now that he was close, the young man could easily see the woman behind the wolf. Once again he wanted to throw up. He turned his head only to see Hyunwoo lying as motionless as the beast.

Throwing the gun away, he ran to Hyunwoo. His legs were too weak and he let himself fall next to him, tears finally escaped his eyes. “He is alive,” coughed Hoseok, “when I arrived it had pushed him against the wall. I think he knocked his head.”

Kihyun stroked Hyunwoo’s hair softly. He could not see much, but he felt some blood on his fingers. Hoseok sat down next to him, checking the other hunter’s pulse. “He’s been through worse,” he added. Kihyun nodded. His heart was beating so fast. “I hope he’s alive, I need to kill him after,” he choked out, “for being so stupid and thinking he could do everything by himself.”

Hoseok let out a little laugh, “let’s go,” he said putting his hands on Kihyun’s shoulders, “you’ll have to help me carry him”.

“What about her.. it?” Kihyun asked. He suddenly remembered that he had killed someone.

“I’ll take care of it,” Hoseok paused, seeing how he was still shaking, “you saved us, Kihyun. I know it looks like it was human, but it was not. It was a beast. And if you had not done that, we would be dead instead of it.”

Kihyun did not answer anything. Instead, he helped Hoseok making Hyunwoo stand up so they could carry him. He still felt a bitter taste in his mouth, but he knew the hunter was right. Seeing how the beast had attacked, he did not look anything human-like. “You get used to it,” said Hoseok, “in making the difference between the two.”

“Thank you,” Kihyun answered.

Hoseok smiled gently at him, “thanks to you. Now let’s take care of this dumbass.”

Kihyun finally laughed, struggling a bit under Hyunwoo’s weight, “you sure are one,” he whispered to Hyunwoo.

*

Kihyun liked the long trip on the passenger’s seat, sometimes singing along to what Hyunwoo was putting in the car CD player, sometimes talking to him about the case they were about to do, or sometimes just watching the landscapes go by.

Three months after Kihyun’s very first case, he had become a pretty decent hunter. He had been surprised at how easy he had learned to manipulate guns and other kinds of weapons. For Hyunwoo, he had had to learn how to put his fear away to let Kihyun fully work with him. They fought and worked well together. Not that Hyunwoo had stopped being like an overprotective bear, but he trusted Kihyun enough to let him help him. And Kihyun loved it.

Throwing away everything to start this crazy hunting life had not been as easy as using weapons, however, Kihyun did not regret it. Hyunwoo had asked him at least a thousand times if he was sure of his choice and every time the youngest was looking at him badly singing to way too old songs, it made him so confident about his choice. Kihyun had fallen in love with Hyunwoo so quickly it was almost unbelievable.

Well, it was not like Kihyun was leading a very believable life right now anyway.

He stared at his lover, the way his arms looked into his leather jacket, one hand on the car wheel, and his other arm leaning on the open window. How his head was slightly moving to the beat of the song he had put on. How his voice sounded when he was singing along. How the wind played with his hair.

“I love you.”

Hyunwoo almost stopped the car in the shock of what Kihyun had just said. He himself had not realized that the word had escaped from his mouth, yet he still stayed confident about it. Hyunwoo stared at him, his eyes opened wide, the confusion readable on his face. Kihyun laughed. The hunter could look so scary and intimidating and knowing he had the power to completely unsettle him made Kihyun very pleased.

“Aren’t you going to answer?” he said faking being upset.

Hyunwoo pulled the car over. They had been driving for half an hour on that road without passing by any other car. “You surprised me,” the tallest answered, “I didn’t expect that so suddenly.”

The youngest crossed his arms on his chest, raising an eyebrow. Hyunwoo smiled at him and titled over to the other man. His face as close as possible to Kihyun’s and the latter felt his heart flutter. No matter how used he was to being with Hyunwoo, he still felt the same sensations. “I love you too.”

Hyunwoo kissed him softly but quickly deepened the kiss when Kihyun’s arms went around his neck, urging him to kiss him more.

“I’m happy I went with you,” Kihyun whispered between two kisses. He could feel Hyunwoo smiling, “I’m happy you’re with me too,” he murmured back.

**Author's Note:**

> etoilephilante wanted to call this fic "under the night's fang" and i just HAVE to share this thing to everyone  
> also thanks quarantine for giving me time to write tons of fics and not my thesis!
> 
> find me on twitter: @woobrioche


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